The field of the present disclosure relates generally to software demonstrations and, more particularly, to a computer-based system and method for demonstrating the operation of client-server software without requiring a connection to a server.
With a general increase in network connectivity, client-server software, such as web browser-based applications, has become widely used. Such software divides functions between a client computer system, operated by a human, and a server computer system, which interacts with the client computer system. For example, the client computer system may include a user interface, and the server computer system may store and retrieve data at the request of the client computer system.
The operation of such client-server systems may be demonstrated to an observer in the context of training and/or marketing. However, such demonstrations require a network connection between the client computer system and the server computer system, just as the case when using the software in a conventional manner. In some scenarios, a network connection between the client computer system and the server computer system is not available. For example, the client computer system may be temporarily located at a site without reliable network connectivity, or the operator of the client computer system may not desire to connect to a network at the site due to security concerns. In another example, access to the server computer system may be restricted by a firewall, such that access from the site where the client computer system is located must be provisioned. This provisioning is associated with manual effort and delay for one-time access.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a computer system that enables a user to demonstrate or simulate a client-server system relationship without requiring a network connection to a server system.